A bill that passed a House committee last week would put a referendum on the ballot in May 2012 for an amendment to the state constitution.

That amendment would:

Make the state superintendent a member of, and chairman of, the State Board of Education.

Add another member to the SBOE and, for the first time, have some of the board appointments made by the legislature. In the new configuration, the state House and the state Senate would each make two appointments; the governor would control eight appointments to the board.

Make the term on the SBOE six years instead of eight.

The plan would give the General Assembly more power over the State Board of Education. It also would clearly establish the state superintendent as the person with full authority over public education. As it stands now, the state superintendent shares power with the chairman of the State Board of Education, which has created confusion for years.

The issue has been politically charged, with some accusing Republican lawmakers of trying to seize control over the state's education system. The original version of the bill would have made the SBOE advisory only, stripping it of authority and giving sole control to the state superintendent.

The bill that passed the committee Wednesday was a compromise that, in the end, did not win bipartisan support. Democrats argued over language that gives lawmakers the power to confirm all members of the State Board.

Rep. Bryan Holloway, a Republican from King, said he would consider changing that if Democrats promised they would vote for the bill. Rep. Mickey Michaux, a Durham Democrat, refused.

Holloway said he had "watered it down" as much as he was willing to do.

"I think this is a fair compromise," Holloway said. "I've had many, many conversations with many, many folks."

Holloway said the state superintendent currently "sits on a stump" over the Department of Public Instruction, with no real authority.

Rep. Deborah Ross, a Raleigh Democrat, said the bill should be about clarifying the role of the superintendent, rather than the legislature asserting itself with new powers.

"We're now saying that the General Assembly is more important than the superintendent," Ross said. "That to me is inappropriate, solipsistic and not necessarily in the best interest of promoting unity ... I thought we were supposed to be elevating the superintendent, not elevating ourselves."

Leanne Winner, director of government relations for the N.C. School Boards Association, said her group supports the current version of the bill.

"It would eliminate this idea of having a dual head, which has been problematic over the years," she said. "It does maintain that the governor would have the majority of the appointments. The governor would have the most significant, if not the most dominating, voice on the board."